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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1954)
Monday, February 22, 1954 THE CAPITAL JOURNAL, Salem. Oregon 'Page 1' Horseless Buggy History Dates Back Eighty Years Salem's By BEN MAXWELL automotive history . of more runaways In Portland dales back 80 years, to October 10, 1874. In that year George B. Selden was dreaming of a successful in ternal combustion engine with ignition accomplished by an ex than had occurred since 1880. 1903 Important Year Salem's first home-owned auto mobile, as has so frequently been mentioned, was uncrated April lb. 1903. Fifty-one years of hiS' ternal flame and useful for ve- j tory have shown this event to be hide propulsion. He did not ap-j one of the more significant in ply for a patent until 1879. And the name "automobile was not coined until near 1900, about 25 years after George Leslie crept through a downtown Salem street in a wheezy steam vehicle at a pace approximating that of geo logic times. On Saturday, October 10, 1874, a Statesman reporter wrote a brief paragraph about the sen- recorded time for this locality. Then, however, the Statesman did not bother with the yarn at all and the Capital Journal treat ed it somewhat facetiously on an inside page. Otto J. Wilson had acquired this one cylinder, seven-horse-Rowcr Oldsmobile, tiller steered, with a curved dash and a start ing crank that could be manipu lation created by George Leslie's! lated from the scat, for $650 team wagon that had appeared 1 cash. He bought it because he on Salem streets last Thursday j operated a bicycle shop and liked noon. But, said this acconnt of machinery. He was also interest 80 veais ago, Leslie's animated ed in a hopyard and needed kettle "was more of a novelty speedy transportation. Addition than a success." ally, he was associated with John Basically George's steam wag- Maurer, Salem's genius at me on consisted of a small steam ! chanics who could keep his car engine mounted on wheels and ! running if anyone could, to arranged with cogs as to con- j Oldsmobile's slogan for 1902, nect with the running gear. Pro gress was definitely slow. Com pared with it an "ox team pulling a log truck attachment moved with the speed of greased light ning." Indeed, progress was only discernible by sighting across the street and lining George's chuff ing contraption up with a fixed ; shop when the company mass produc ed 2500 merry Oldsmobiles, was "Nothing to watch but the road." Otto Wilson soon discovered this was only a splendid euphemism and carried plenty of tools and spare parts when he ventured out of sight of Maurer s machine object and patiently waiting for it to pass that given point. Further, commented the cyni cal reporter of 80 years ago: "Should it come into common use there would be no danger of fast driving. Leslie expects to exhibit it at the fair if he can get there in time." Inventor Raised Carp Leslie's steam wagon was, per haps, a product of Drake's Iron Works where Jonathan Leslie was an employe in 1880. In the Lang and Himes history of the Willamette Valley his name is upellcd Lesley and it is there recorded that he was married 1o Miss Eliza M. Graves in 1868. His trade was that of carpenter and carriage maker. Research by Dave Duniway, state archivist, discovers that he left no estate. L. H. McMahan, who knew Les lie, recalls that he lived at Front and Fir streets (now Division) 70 odd years ago and that he raised carp and was probably re sponsible for their introduction into the Willamette River. He docs not remember Leslie as an inventor and this writer who on occasion read Leslie's obituary, does not remember his being mentioned as such. More than 25 years passed be fore anything resembling an au tomobile is known to have again appeared in Salem. Here and there an oldtimer recalls that a horseless carriage of early gasoline vintage may have come here as a feature of a dog and ponv show' about 1902. Also in that a Mobile Steam Touring Car was driven from Seattle to San Francisco in the "most dif ficult auto trip on record." Driv er George Carmack took his Mo bile steamer down grades so sleep that the machine slid with out the wheels turning and (hrnnch nlaces where a two horse team could not take a wagon. No Wrote the Capital Journal re porter of 51 years ago: "With the whizz and burr of several motor bicycles and the appearance of a number of horseless carriages on Salem streets the capitol city is becom ing metropolitan." On February 25, 1902, Millard (Eli) Lee, representative for Mitchell, Lewis & Staver, had brought the first motorcycle to Salem and ridden it down the path from the State House, at a rate of 20 miles an hour. He was reported for "scorching" but no Salem ordinance then covered speed of automobiles or motor cycles so he got off without fine or punishment. August 5, 1902, Ben Taylor was reported riding a motorcycle. He wrecked it by a misadventure less than two weeks later and both Ben and his cycle were laid up for re pairs. F. A. Wiggins, the implement dealer on Liberty Street, acquir ed an agency for the Rambler automobile, another one-cylinder contraption, during the early part of 1903 and whenMie saw fit to proclaim its merits in print on September 16, 1903, it be came the Capital Journal's first advertisement about an automo bile. He sold a Rambler to George Graves shortly after he had acquired the agency and this sale became the first of its kind made by a local dealer. The First Accident First accident known to be at tributed to an automobile in this area happened immediately east of the penitentiary about 2:30 o'clock on Saturdav afternoon. Julv 11, 1003. Gustave Mitzner both saw and heard the popning contraption bearing down upon him. He dismounted from his bugey to bridle down his alarmed horse. Despite his efforts tne horse ran away, smashed Mitz- record has been found to show ner s nuggy ann hiucn u-l" ' ,u. ,u. Mhiio :i,m Tnnri-" what is now Four Corners. Soon Car enroute to San Francisco I , Mitzner was at the Courthouse years ago passed through Salem, demanding a John Doc warrant Ownership of Oregon's first i for an unknown autoist. onimnnhile had been attributed j Steam cars had an early to Henry Wemme of Portland who is said to have possessed a Stanley steamer about 1893. This Is an anachronism since the Stanley brothers did not start building their vehicle until July 6, 1897. He did. however, acquire a Locomobile (then also a steam vogue in this locality since some drivers regarded them as being safer and more reliable than gasoline autos of the early 1900s. But they soon discovered that the operator had to be both a plumber and an engineer. Also something ot a inmost, i ne ursi er) in 1898 which mav have been ! one here was a w niie nwnen n Oregon's first automobile. In a J. H. Albert. Its engine was ce.ir. single vear his chuffing steamer j ed directlv to the rear wheels is accredited as being the cause and could not he disengaged. Like others of its kind it gen crated steam quickly and just is quickly exhausted itself. A misadventure with this vehicle in the Eola Hills cost Mrs. Al bert her life. George Graves ac quired a steamer from Fj-cd Wig gins but found it too complex for his mechanical capacity and engaged a "mechanician," as chauffeurs were then called, to run it for him. First electric car in Salem was owned by Mrs. It. P. Boise, a product of the Columbus Buggy Company acquired "in 1909. A second electric was owned by Mrs. Thomas Livesley and the third, a Baker, was Miss Sally Bush's proud possession until she maneuvered it through the doors of Opera House Pharmacy to create havoc among the pills. License Law Passed When Oregon's licensing law for automotive vehicles became effective May 17, 1905, the age of pioneering with combustion of wheels may be said to have ended. Automobiles had not yet been perfected. But he days of high adventure were approaching a close. The next decade saw a demand for good roads, the self starter made driving i car prac tical for women, and the car it self became more reliable and more efficient. Forty-nine years ago 17 auto mobiles were owned in Salem ranging from a one-cylinder Ori ent Buckboard costing $375 and owned by Frank J. Moore to a big and costly White steamer that was the pride of George J. Pierce. Then John G r a b e r owned an Olds used to trans port those . willing to pay the price for a round trip to the Lewis and Clark Fair. He, alone, is believed to be the only sur vivor of this early age of auto motive transportation in Salem. About a third of a million pure tones can be detected by the hu man ear. Woodbum to Study Union High School WOODBURN A meeting will be held Wednesday night, March 3, at the Washington school in Woodburn of the di rectors of the school boards of four adjoining school districts and the Woodburn school board for the expression of views on Nqw Many Wear FALSE TEETH With Little Worry Rat, talk, laugh or sneer without fear of Insrcure falsa teeth dropping, llpplon or wobbling. FASTEETH holds plates Armor and more com fortably. This pleasant powder has no gummy, gooey, pasty taste or feeling. Doesn't cause nausea. It's alkaline I non-acid I. Checks "plate odor" Identure breath). Oet FASTKsTTH al any drus counter. the feasibility and desirability of organization of the four districts to maintain a common high school.. Boards of the Monitor, Union, Mt. Angel and McKee schools are to be invited to par ticipate. A decision to call the meeting of the directors of the four schools was reached at a meet ing of the Woodburn school di rectors and a group of interested citizens at the Washington school. Wednesday evening. GES CEP' WEM55ft K2lSP never used such fine fue. , . Pres-to-logs, of course CAPITOL LUMBER CO. PHONE 3-8862 DISPLAY IT PROUDLY! Slote Form offers its ex cellent protection end service ot extremely low cost be cause it oims to insure coreM drivers only. . CIT YOURS NOW! Mode of headlight-reflecting ScotcMile to stick on rear bumper. Drop in lor your fret tofety emblem today. "SI" OLSON 626 N. High St. Phone 4221 S STATE FARM INSURANCE Stat Fo'm Mutual Automobile. 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